FEBRUARY 2017 FASHION & LIFESTYLE FAVOURITES

As usual, I wanted to share with you the fashion and lifestyle items that i’ve been loving over the last month. There’s a couple of pairs of footwear, some home accessories and some fantastic books.

Let’s start with fashion. I’ve relyed so much on my new Black Forever Comfort Mid-Length Boots* (£48 from Next) over the last month of cold and wet weather. They are so comfortable to wear and have a cosy fleece lining. I worried when trying them on that they wouldn’t zip up over my calves, but there is actual good room left. They are have a very small wedge sole, but are essentially flat boots, and I really like the casual dark metallic buckle detailing.

I’ve also been loving such a comfortable, chic, sparkly and bargain-tastic pair of trainer-style shoes – the Lilley Womens Black Shimmer Slip On Casual Shoe (£9.99 from Shoezone) has a sparkly black fabric front and faux black leather back. They are part of the new Spring collection from the brand and they are going to be perfect for my upcoming LA trips. Please excuse my bobbly leggings!

Moving onto homeware, I adore my new Mr Nutcase mug that’s been personalised with my blog’s logo. It’s such great quality and the logo wraps all the way around. This mug is their 12OZ Ceramic Latte Mug* (£7.95 from Mr Nutcase). One with your favourite photograph on it would make a great gift for Mother’s Day.

I also got a new light for next to my desk to make the room nice and bright. I’m really into copper (who isn’t) and I fell in love with the Litecraft Large Copper Lantern Light. I don’t remember the exact price of this, as it’s only available in-store, but it was around £40. You need to buy a specialist bulb for around £8 on top of this. Do not leave the store without getting a note of the bulb that you need, or buying one there, as nowhere on the lamp does it tell you! It’s a huge light and it looks really striking and expensive.

Finally, let’s talk books. You know how addicted I am to Audible, so I have another audiobook novel to share with you that I really enjoyed. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella (£7.99 as part of subscription from Audible) I had been long anticipating the release of this as I love chick-lit from Sophie Kinsella. This is just as funny and heartwarming as I thought it would be, and listening to it being narrated really makes it come alive more than if you just read the text in a paperback. It’s about a woman called Katie who has the most perfect and stylish Instagram feed, but it doesn’t actually relate to her real life; more like her dreams. She’s then sacked from her lowly London admin job and moves home to the countryside to help her Dad run his glamping business in Somerset. When the boss who sacks her arrives on the glamping site for a family holiday, it’s Katie’s chance to either get revenge or try and get her job back.

I also read an utterly amazing novel this month that I got to preview. It isn’t out yet, but you can pre-order on Amazon. If you like psychological thrillers like The Girl On The Train and Gone Girl, you will love this. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney* (£7.99 for paperback from Amazon) is released on 23rd March and it begins with a woman called Amber Reynolds telling us that one fact about her is that she is in a coma and another is that sometimes she lies. She is the narrator of the story, so this immediately means that we cannot trust her or believe everything she says. The story goes back in time between the present time in her hospital bed and her childhood past; journeying all the time towards revealing how she has ended up where she is today. The twists in this story are incredible and breath-taking, and the language used by the author is so clever. I haven’t seen better writing in a long time. If you do anything I say this year, you need this book. You really, really do. You can also read my Goodreads review of this novel here.

Finally, I want to talk about a TV show that I was addicted to this month on Netflix, and I’m so excited that it is back from its mid-season break tomorrow. Designated Survivor is one of those US government political/terrorist thrillers along the lines of Homeland, Scandal and Madam Secretary (all of which I love). It’s in its first season at the moment and stars 24’s Kiefer Sutherland in the title role of US President. The premise of the series is that during the President’s State of the Union address, one person from the cabinet is chosen to miss the address in The Capitol Building and be hidden in a secret location in-case of a terrorist attack. The entire US government and lawmakers attend this speech by the President, so should there be a terrorist attack that wipes out the building, there needs to be one guaranteed survivor to run the country. This year it happened to be the lowliest member of the cabinet – the Secretary for Housing aka Kiefer Sutherland – and guess what, The Capitol Building goes up in flames like something out of Armageddon and he is made the President; having to deal with the aftermath of the attack, form a new government and thwart further terrorist threats. It’s terribly exciting and is addictive viewing.